Music Rant: As Dem Ban Uncle Falz’s ‘This is Nigeria’

Haa, you know hear am. Dem don ban the song o. Dem National Broadcasting Commission talk say the song no fit for airplay on radio.

Mtcheew, when we con ask dem say how come. Why the song no fit for airplay again? Dem talk say the song get ‘vulgar language’. Okay o, wetin be the ‘vulgar language’ wey dey there. Dem talk say na the line where Uncle Folarin talk say ‘This is Nigeria, See How We Living Now, Everybody be criminal!’

Nah there I con vex go check Dictionary as per me sef no too sabi book reach that level. I check Dictionary say wetin be the meaning of ‘vulgar’ o. My dictionary talk say vulgar nah adjective and it means when something dey distasteful, obscene, lacking sophistication or good taste.

I con take one eye look the word again. Take another eye check the meaning again too. Where is the correlation abeg?

Okay, for the sake of this argument, let’s agree that Uncle Falz might have taken it a bit far by declaring everyone a thief including me sef. We can actually excuse the statement on the grounds of figurative expression.

However, we cannot provide an excuse for the government to which the message of Falz’s ‘This is Nigeria’ was directed to.

Why?

Is there any excuse for them not to have looked into the issues raised by Uncle Folarin and address them?

Abi, has the plight of Nigerian masses been ameliorated? Don’t we still have criminal cases being settled in police stations? Have the looters and killers stopped contesting in elections? How many cases of looting has been successfully investigated and the law allowed to take its due course in recent times?

What about the security situation of the country, better off now? I too dey speak English. The last time we get light for my area is 24 hours ago and still counting. Abi, you’ve not seen the pothole-formed map of Nigeria filled with muck.

All of these are valid points and you’d rather ban the song than look into the points highlighted and fix it. But then, This is Nigeria, Look How We Living Now, Everybody including NBC sef be Criminal.

Uncle Falz, abegiii, no mind this people, we need more of this vulgar songs. Imagine, how do we sustain a music industry driven by message if Falz’s ‘This is Nigeria’ is vulgar.